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Guinea v Mali: Quarter-final berth on offer in Mongomo

Guinea and Mali have all to play for in Africa Cup of Nations Group D, as both teams seek a place in the quarter-finals.

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Written ByPeter Hanson

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A wide-open Africa Cup of Nations Group D is set for a thrilling
climax as Guinea face Mali in a winner-takes-all contest on
Wednesday.

All four matches in Group D have produced 1-1 draws, meaning the
victors of the clash in Mongomo are guaranteed a place in the
knockout stages of the African showpiece.

A draw could potentially see both teams book a spot in the last
eight, depending on the result of the pool's other clash between
the Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

Guinea head coach Michel Dussuyer is leaving nothing to chance,
though, and is desperate for his team to step up and prove they can
compete in big matches.

"We believe in our qualities as a team," he said. "We want to
raise our level and this kind of match can help us progress.

"We respect all the teams [in the competition] but we are afraid
of nobody."

In Mali, Guinea face the lowest FIFA-ranked side in the
group.

However, it would be foolhardy to rule Henryk Kasperczak's men
out of contention, particularly considering they would have already
progressed to the quarter-finals had they not twice conceded late
goals.

Mali opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Cameroon, in
which they were denied by an 84th-minute leveller from Ambroise
Oyongo.

A similar scenario occurred last Saturday as Bakary Sako's early
goal appeared set to earn a win over the Ivory Coast, only for Max
Gradel to restore parity with just three minutes of regular time
remaining.

Mali captain Seydou Keita voiced his frustration at the team's
failure to see out those games.

"We are very disappointed," he added. "When you look at our two
games against Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, it is only small
details that cost us the win.

"Once more, we gave up two deserved points."

Keita is well aware of the threat posed by Guinea, but the
midfielder is confident the team have come up with a game plan to
book a spot in the knockout stages.

"We do not underrate the Guinea team because we know they can be
very dangerous," he said. "But we have mapped out a plan to handle
them."